NCT Review

Seth Brundle

www.nctreview.ie/registration.htm

What kind of questions/comments would you put to them?

* reg plates
* headlamp intensity
* seatbelt failures [where the tester could have pulled belt out of seat]
* staff finding new failures when car brought for a re-test
* failing test then mechanic claims it is fine
* paying mechanic to fix car and then NCT failing

Anyone going to one of these?

spockety

kbannon wrote:

www.nctreview.ie/registration.htm

* staff finding new failures when car brought for a re-test
Anyone going to one of these?

This one just got me!

I had my NCT in Feb, failed on various things. Anyway it took me weeks to get around to getting it sorted, so I booked my 2nd NCT for April. So took it back last week, and it failed again! On different things!

It failed this time on a cracked windscreen..

"Why did that windscreen with that very same crack pass only 2 months ago? Why did it fail this time?" *shrug*.

Failed on "chaffed brake hose - offside front"..
Again, "Why did that very same brake hose pass the very same test only 2 months ago, are you telling me it got 'chaffed' in only 8 weeks?" *shrug*

BASTARDS.

Seth Brundle

Also happened to a friend of mine recently [who also failed over light intensity (something they claim not to test)]

BrianD3

spockety wrote:

This one just got me!

I had my NCT in Feb, failed on various things. Anyway it took me weeks to get around to getting it sorted, so I booked my 2nd NCT for April. So took it back last week, and it failed again! On different things!

It failed this time on a cracked windscreen..

"Why did that windscreen with that very same crack pass only 2 months ago? Why did it fail this time?" *shrug*.

Failed on "chaffed brake hose - offside front"..
Again, "Why did that very same brake hose pass the very same test only 2 months ago, are you telling me it got 'chaffed' in only 8 weeks?" *shrug*

BASTARDS.

First of all this wasn't a retest. I believe the point that kbannon was making is that cars are being failed in retests for things that were deemed acceptable in the original test. This should not happen. I have never heard of it happening myself.

As for the windscreen, if there is a crack in front of the driver the car will pass the NCT if it is 10 mm long and will fail if it is 11 mm long. Entirely possible for a crack to grow 1 or more mm in a couple of months. Unless you measured the crack before both tests, you won't know for sure whether this occured. Similarly, a brake pipe could well fray enough in a couple of months to cause the car to fail.

The lesson from this is - if you don't want the NCT to pick up additional/different things when you return after failing the NCT, make sure that you return within 30 days so that they do a retest, not a 2nd full test.

BrianD3

spockety

The crack was well longer than 10mm in both tests. My query was why the hell was this not pointed out to me the first time? It was a failing windscreen the first time, yet it passed. If they had been competent enough to fail me the first time, I would have at least known to get a bloody windscreen between tests! For the record, after it passed the first time, I did not think "yay I got away with it", I thought they must have passed it because it was not in my field of view or something like that.

prospect

spockety, that does suck. I thought the tester had a check list, so it shouldn't have been too hard for him/her to bring the crack to your attention the first time. It is almost like they want to get you back a few times for the few extra €'s. In your case the retest for the windscreen should be FOC.

Things like windscreen, lights, indicators, wipers, seatbelts, tyres, brakes etc. should be very stringently tested on all cars, no exceptions. But failing on things like, the belts being caught between the seat etc. are just silly.

I liked the fail/advisory system was good. You are told something minor needs attention, but you do not have to go back for a re-test.

BrianD3

spockety wrote:

The crack was well longer than 10mm in both tests. My query was why the hell was this not pointed out to me the first time? It was a failing windscreen the first time, yet it passed. If they had been competent enough to fail me the first time, I would have at least known to get a bloody windscreen between tests! For the record, after it passed the first time, I did not think "yay I got away with it", I thought they must have passed it because it was not in my field of view or something like that.

The 10 mm stipulation only applies to defects in the windscreen which are in front of the driver. I can't remember the exact regs but in other areas you are allowed two 20 mm defects plus cracks of a certain length (longer than 20 mm IIRC) The regs are clearly stated and illustrated in the NCT tester's manual.

Of course it's possible that the tester may have made a mistake and the car should have failed its first test on windscreen but who knows? As I said, unless you were well up on the regs and had carefully measured the defects/cracks beforehand, you'd never know. Therefore it's a little unfair to say the tester was incompetent.

BrianD3

spockety

The cracks could not have changed, because they went from lower edge of
the windscreen to the left edge of it. There is nowhere for the cracks to grow into. Therefore they were IDENTICAL for both tests. They passed the first test, and failed the second. One of the testers was incompetent.